Commissioners offer discount program for dental work

The Franklin County commissioners this week rolled out a program to help residents save money
when going to the dentist.

The Dental Discount Program is designed to help people save money on dental care whether or not
they have insurance. It’s a membership program administered by Texas-based Careington International
Corp., which charges members a monthly or annual fee to receive discounts when paying for dental
care.

The discount depends on the type of service, but ranges from 5 percent to about 50 percent.

Some examples provided by the company included members paying $24 for a routine oral exam, which
is regularly priced at $49, and paying $48 instead of a typical price of $91 for a light adult
cleaning.

The company charges about $7 a month for an individual membership and $9 for a family.
Prospective members can save money by paying a year in advance: annual memberships cost about $60
for an individual and $70 for a family.

The program automatically renews, so members have to cancel if they don’t want to be charged for
another year of the service. There is a 30-day money back guarantee, though, according to the
company’s website.

The program is made possible by the Franklin County commissioners’ involvement with the National
Association of Counties, which partnered with Careington to provide the program to residents. All
county residents are eligible, and there's no cost to tax payers.